the Joker and the Clean Slate

[joseph_kerr]

Hello everyone, first off I'm new here so just wanted to intoduce myself, furhtermore, I'm sure this has been thrown around before, but does anyone else feel that a connection should have been made between the Joker and the "Clean Slate" in TDKR?  This could have been at least a nod to the character since he was absent from the story, and at the same time could have explained why there were no records, aliases, prints, and dental records for him in TDK...just sayin'.  Anyways nice to be apart of the board.    ~j~

[Paul (ral)]

Nice theory...and welcome to the site!

[Bobthegoon89]

Hi. I think Nolan made a mistake not addressing this. Ironically it proves Tim Burton's controversial motives for killing off The Joker in his movie were correct. He did it for a reason of not having to explain his whereabouts in a potential sequel. As well as being merely (and frankly) more dramatic than having him carted off in handcuffs.

Nolan by leaving him alive and captured ultimately backed himself into this very same corner. He basically did have him "carted off in handcuffs".

I don't mind when villains die in comic book movies. Sometimes it's cleaner. It should not happen all the time but it can give a dramatic scene especially if it's for the sake of the story. The Penguin's death in Batman Returns is the best example. It's meant to be a tragic scene of course and reflects the overall tragegy of his entire life from begining to end.

[riddler]

Hi. I think Nolan made a mistake not addressing this. Ironically it proves Tim Burton's controversial motives for killing off The Joker in his movie were correct. He did it for a reason of not having to explain his whereabouts in a potential sequel. As well as being merely (and frankly) more dramatic than having him carted off in handcuffs.

Nolan by leaving him alive and captured ultimately backed himself into this very same corner. He basically did have him "carted off in handcuffs".

I don't mind when villains die in comic book movies. Sometimes it's cleaner. It should not happen all the time but it can give a dramatic scene especially if it's for the sake of the story. The Penguin's death in Batman Returns is the best example. It's meant to be a tragic scene of course and reflects the overall tragegy of his entire life from begining to end.

I liken the Penguins death to the sharks death in the novelitization of Jaws: the shark going for one final kill of the hero ultimately collapses from all the abuse; it literally gave everything it had and died from having nothing left it's remains were feasted on by smaller fish. Now interesting that when they converted it to a film it was deemed to be not an effective ending. Burton made this sort of demise work; he could have had him die from an explosion or gun fire. He effectively gave the dramatic ending.